Parallel guiding system

ABSTRACT

A device for the parallel guiding of webs and material to be cut, especially of steel cord for use in connection with the manufacture of pneumatic tires, according to which a plurality of freely rotatable porcupine rollers are substantially uniformly distributed over the width of a table and have their cylindrical circumferential surface provided with radially protruding pointed pins for engaging the material to be cut when the latter passes over said table so as to prevent the material being cut from deviating laterally.

United States Patent 1191 Aka June 11, 1974 [54] PARALLEL GUIDING SYSTEM 3,160,340 12/1964 Menkel 226/53 [75] Inventor: Peter Aka, Hamburg, Germany [73] Assignee: Fried. Krupp Gesellschaft mit be Primary ExaminerAllen N. Knowles schrankter Haftung, Essen, Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Walter Becker Germany [22] Filed: Mar. 2, 1973 [2]] Appl. No.1 337,385 [57] ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Application Priority Data A device for the parallel guiding of webs and material Mar. 3, 1972 Germany 2210274 t be p ia ly f steel rd for use in connection with the manufacture of pneumatic tires, according to [52] US. Cl 226/199, 226/53, 83/451, hi h a pl r li y f fr ly r ata le porc pine rollers 83/465 are substantially uniformly distributed over the width [51] Int. Cl B65h 23/32 f a able nd ha e heir ylin rical circumferential [58] Field of Search 226/52, 53, 196, 199, 180, Surface provided with radially protruding pointed pins 226/189; 83/451, 374, 465 for engaging the material to be cut when the latter passes over said table so as to prevent the material [56] References Cited being cut from deviating laterally.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 933,688 9/1909 Atwood 83/451 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures SHEET 10F 3 PMENYEDJW I 1914 FIG. 1

PARALLEL GUIDING SYSTEM The present invention relates to a device for the parallel guiding of webs to be cut, for instance, of steel cord for the manufacture of pneumatic tires.

When cutting webs, forces are exerted in the cutting direction upon the web during the cutting process. Inasmuch as the transporting direction of the web does not coincide with the cutting direction, these forces have the tendency to deviate the web away from the transporting direction. Such deviation is, of course, undesired and should be avoided as far as possible.

With intermittently executed cutting operations, therefore, mechanical devices for holding down the web are employed which hold the web during the cutting and prevent a displacement of the web. If the webs are provided with metallic inserts, as for instance steel cord, it is also possible to hold the material by means of magnets. To this end, however, very high magnetic forces may be necessary which in part must additionally be variable or at least adjustable. For the employment with continuously effective cutting operations,

which means with the web being in continuous movement, the just mentioned steps are not suited.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a device of the type involved which is as simple as possible and which will overcome the above mentioned drawbacks and will assure a safe parallel guiding of the webs even when the cutting operation is carried out in a continuous manner.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the tiltable cutting blade beam of a cutting machine according to the invention.

FIG. la is a fragmentary enlarged view taken within the confines of a partial circle la in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 represents a section taken along the line ll ll of FIG. 1.

The device according to the invention for a parallel guiding of webs to be cut is characterized by a plurality of freely rotatable cylindrical porcupine rollers which are distributed over the width of the web to be cut and are equipped with circumferentially located radially extending pointed pins or the like, the axes of the rollers extending in a direction transverse to the transporting direction of the web. The pointed pins are adapted to press themselves into the web to be cut thereby preventing a lateral escape of the web to be cut. Such an arrangement can be produced without great expenses and practically requires no servicing. A separate rotary drive for the porcupine rollers is not necessary inasmuch as the pins, the tips of which press into the elastic plastic surface of the web to be cut, are taken along by the web.

Expediently holding means are provided for the porcupine rollers which holding means press the rollers individually with adjustable force, for instance by spring pressure, against the web. In this way, over the entire width of the web, completely uniform pressing and guiding forces as well as a tension-free parallel guiding can be realized.

It is further suggested in conformity with the invention to arrange the porcupine rollers in such a way that they can be pivoted about an axis which is perpendicular to the web to be cut. With such a design, any desired position of the porcupine rollers with regard to the web to be cut may be selected. It is, for instance, not necessary that the individual porcupine rollers are arranged adjacent to each other along a line which extends precisely transverse to the direction of movement of the web. If desired, the porcupine rollers may also be arranged in offset position with regard to each other in the direction of movement ofthe web so that the group of porcupine rollers will extend at an acute angle to the transporting direction. The pivotability will in each instance make it possible to adjust the device for a proper parallel guiding of the web to be cut.

According to a further development of the invention it is suggested that the porcupine rollers are arranged at the pivotable cutting blade beam of a preferably continuously operating cutting machine and to provide the porcupine rollers with a common drive for the simultaneous pivoting or tilting of all porcupine rollers when the cutting blade beam is being pivoted. In this way an operationally safe coupling of the device for the parallel guiding of the webs with the cutting device is realized which is universally employable, i. e., for a continuous operation and for different cutting angles. The straight guiding of the web is thus assured over the entire working range of the cutting device and when a different cutting angle is selected, it is merely necessary to effect a corresponding adjustment of the axes of the porcupine rollers. It is even possible automatically to effect this adjustment by connecting the drive for the pivoting of the procupine roller axes to the drive for the pivoting of the cutting blade beam.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the web 1 to be cut moves in the direction of the arrow A over the cutting table 2 of the cutting machine. The cut is effected along the cutting blade beam 3 which is pivotable about a vertical axis B. The location of the cutting blade beam 3 with regard to the transporting direction of web 1 will with intermittently operating machines determine the cutting angle. With continuously operating machines, the location of the cutting blade beam 3 also determines the width of the cut.

Several holding members 4 are connected one adjacent to the other to the cutting blade beam 3. In each of these holding members 4 there is rotatably journalled a bolt 5 which by the pressure of a spring 6 is pressed downwardly and at its lower end is provided with a yoke 7 in which a porcupine roller 8 is rotatably arranged about a horizontal axis. The porcupine roller 8 has its surface densely studded with pins 9 the tips of which will be pressed into the surface of the web 1 when it passes underneath the porcupine roller. The stroke effected by spring 6 for pressing the porcupine roller 8 onto the web 1 is limited by nuts 10 and 11 between which there is clamped a lever lashing 12. The lever lashing 12 of all porcupine rollers 8 are linked to a pullrod 13 which serves for a common adjustment of the porcupine rollers. The pullrod 13 has its end extend through a threaded bore 14 in a bearing block 15 and is adjusted by a handwheel l6 and arrested in its respective position by a counter nut 17.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular showing in the drawings but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A device for the parallel guiding of webs and material to be cut, especially of steel cord, which includes:

a cutting table defining the path over which the material to be cut is passed, a plurality of freely rotatable porcupine rollers normally arranged above said table and respectively having a substantially cylindrical circumferential surface with pointed pin means radially extending therefrom for guiding engagement with the material to be cut on said table, said porcupine rollers normally having their axes of rotation extending in a direction transverse to said table and being substantially evenly distributed over at least the major portion of the width of said table, and means for pressing said porcupine rollers against the material to be cut on said table.

for simultaneously turning all of said porcupine rollers. 

1. A device for the parallel guiding of webs and material to be cut, especially of steel cord, which includes: a cutting table defining the path over which the material to be cut is passed, a pLurality of freely rotatable porcupine rollers normally arranged above said table and respectively having a substantially cylindrical circumferential surface with pointed pin means radially extending therefrom for guiding engagement with the material to be cut on said table, said porcupine rollers normally having their axes of rotation extending in a direction transverse to said table and being substantially evenly distributed over at least the major portion of the width of said table, and means for pressing said porcupine rollers against the material to be cut on said table.
 2. A device according to claim 1, which includes supporting means supporting said porcupine rollers, and adjusting means associated with said porcupine rollers for selectively individually varying the pressure acting upon said porcupine rollers in a direction perpendicular to the plane of said table.
 3. A device according to claim 1, in which each of said porcupine rollers is turnable about an axis substantially perpendiular to the plane of said table.
 4. A device according to claim 3, which includes actuating means common to all of said porcupine rollers for simultaneously turning all of said porcupine rollers. 